Pluto (Disney)

Pluto is an American cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. He is a yellow-orange color, medium-sized, short-haired dog with black ears. Unlike most Disney characters, Pluto is not anthropomorphic beyond some characteristics such as facial expression. He is Mickey's pet. Officially a mixed-breed dog, he made his debut as a bloodhound in the Mickey Mouse cartoon The Chain Gang. Together with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Goofy, Pluto is one of the "Sensational Six"—the biggest stars in the Disney universe. Though all six are non-human animals, Pluto alone is not dressed as a human.

Pluto debuted in animated cartoons and appeared in 24 Mickey Mouse films before receiving his own series in 1937. All together Pluto appeared in 89 short films between 1930 and 1953. Several of these were nominated for an Academy Award, including The Pointer (1939), Squatter's Rights (1946), Pluto's Blue Note (1947), and Mickey and the Seal (1948). One film starring him, Lend a Paw (1941), won the award in 1942. Because Pluto does not speak, his films generally rely on physical humor. This made Pluto a pioneering figure in character animation, by expressing personality through animation rather than dialogue.

Like all of Pluto's co-stars, the dog has appeared extensively in comics over the years, first making an appearance in 1931. He returned to theatrical animation in 1990 with The Prince and the Pauper and has also appeared in several direct-to-video films. Pluto also appears in the television series Mickey Mouse Works (1999–2000), House of Mouse (2001–2003), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2016), Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures (2017–2021), Mickey Mouse (2013–2019) and its successor The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse (2020–2023), and Mickey Mouse Funhouse (2021–present).

In 1998, Disney's copyright on Pluto, set to expire in 2003, was extended by the passage of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. Disney, along with other studios, lobbied for passage of the act to preserve their copyrights on characters such as Pluto for 20 additional years.

Origin
Pluto first appeared as a nameless bloodhound tracking the escaped convict Mickey in the film The Chain Gang, which released on August 6, 1930. On October 23 of that same year, The Picnic was released. Pluto was Minnie's dog and was named Rover. The Moose Hunt, which came out on May 3, 1931, Pluto appeared as Mickey's pet, and was given the name "Pluto".

Several months had passed between the naming of what was then classified as the ninth planet, Pluto, on May 1, 1930, and the attachment of that name to the dog character. Disney animator Ben Sharpsteen said "We thought the name [Rover] was too common, so we had to look for something else. ... We changed it to Pluto the Pup ... but I don't honestly remember why." Some Disney animators reportedly believed that Walt Disney chose the name to capitalize on the sensation of the newly named planet.

Pluto was initially a minor character until 1934 when Disney animator Norm Ferguson gave the dog a key role in the cartoon Playful Pluto. Pluto becomes entangled with a sticky piece of flypaper, and Ferguson expanded the sequence significantly. The segment became a classic, demonstrating how Disney artists can take a simple circumstance and build humor through a character.

Characterization
Unlike Mickey's other animal friends, such as Goofy (who is also a dog), Pluto is a relatively normal animal, with few anthropomorphic traits apart from his facial expressions. Pluto usually doesn't speak in English, walk upright or wear clothing. A significant departure from this was his speaking role in The Moose Hunt (1931), which was produced before Pluto's characterization had been clearly defined. As Pluto made more appearances, it became common that he would mostly speak in barks and grunts like most dogs. Other ways of communicating Pluto's thoughts occur through his facial expressions, and sometimes through the use of a shoulder angel/devil who speak directly to Pluto. (Mickey's Elephant, Lend a Paw).

Pluto is generally a cheerful and adventurous dog, although he can be given to sheer panic when confronted with something unknown. Common themes in Pluto's stories involve him becoming jealous of Mickey getting another pet (Mickey's Elephant, Lend a Paw, Mickey and the Seal), Pluto accidentally and unwittingly swallowing something and panicking when he realizes it (Playful Pluto, Donald and Pluto), Pluto getting entangled with something inanimate like a piece of flypaper (Beach Picnic, Playful Pluto), or Pluto being pestered by a smaller animal (Private Pluto, Squatter's Rights). In many of his appearances with Mickey, Pluto will get himself into trouble and cause Mickey to get angry at him. Mickey, however, often cheers up quickly, often telling Pluto "Aw, I can't be mad at ya.".

Pluto sometimes appears with other regular animal characters. His friends include Fifi the Peke, Dinah the Dachshund, and Ronnie the St. Bernard Puppy. Other animals he is less friendly with include Salty the Seal, Butch the Bulldog, Figaro the Kitten, Chip 'n Dale, Peg Leg Pete, Spike the Bee, Bent-Tail the Coyote, Milton the Cat, and other characters. In Disney's 1937 animated short Pluto's Quin-puplets, Pluto has five sons, one of them returning in the 1942 short Pluto Junior. In the 1946 animated short Pluto's Kid Brother, Pluto has a younger brother named K.B.

Appearances


Pluto first and most often appears in the Mickey Mouse series of cartoons. On rare occasions, he is paired with Donald Duck ("Donald and Pluto", "Beach Picnic", "Window Cleaners", "The Eyes Have It", "Donald's Dog Laundry", & "Put-Put Troubles").

The first cartoons to feature Pluto as a solo star were two Silly Symphony shorts, Just Dogs (1932) and Mother Pluto (1936). In 1937, Pluto appeared in Pluto's Quin-Puplets which was the first installment of his own film series, then headlined Pluto the Pup. However, they were not produced on a regular basis until 1940, by which time the name of the series was shortened to Pluto.

His first comics appearance was in the Mickey Mouse comic strip in July 1931, two months after the release of The Moose Hunt. In 1938, Pluto headlined in the Silly Symphony Sunday comic strip, in an adaptation of his Silly Symphony short, Mother Pluto. Pluto was later featured in several sequences of the Silly Symphony strip in 1939 and 1940.

Pluto Saves the Ship, a comic book published in 1942, was one of the first Disney comics prepared for publication outside newspaper strips. However, not counting a few cereal giveaway mini-comics in 1947 and 1951, he did not have his own comics title until 1952.

In 1936, Pluto was featured in the picture book Mickey Mouse and Pluto the Pup by Whitman Publishing.

Pluto ran his own neighborhood in Disney's Toontown Online until its closedown. It was called the Brrrgh and it was always snowing there except during Halloween. During April Toons Week, a weekly event that was very silly, Pluto switched playgrounds with Minnie (all other characters did this as well), and he actually talked in Minnie's Melodyland.

Pluto has also appeared in the television series Mickey Mouse Works (1999–2000), House of Mouse (2001–2003), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2016), Mickey Mouse (2013–2019), Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures (2017–2021), and The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse (2020-present) and Mickey Mouse Funhouse (2021–present). Curiously enough, however, Pluto was the only standard Disney character not included when the whole gang was reunited for the 1983 featurette Mickey's Christmas Carol, although he did return in The Prince and the Pauper (1990) and Runaway Brain (1995). He also had a cameo at the ending of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). In 1996, he made a cameo in the Quack Pack episode "The Really Mighty Ducks".

Short films



 * The Chain Gang (1930) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Picnic (1930) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Blue Rhythm (1931) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Moose Hunt (1931) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Delivery Boy (1931) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey Steps Out (1931) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Fishin' Around (1931) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Barnyard Broadcast (1931) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Beach Party (1931) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Orphans (1931) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Duck Hunt (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Grocery Boy (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Mad Dog (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Revue (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Just Dogs (1932) – Silly Symphony short
 * Mickey's Nightmare (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Trader Mickey (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Wayward Canary (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Klondike Kid (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Parade of the Award Nominees (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Good Deed (1932) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Building a Building (1933) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Mad Doctor (1933) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Pal Pluto (1933) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Gala Premier (1933) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Puppy Love (1933) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Playful Pluto (1934) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey Plays Papa (1934) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Kangaroo (1935) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Garden (1935) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Pluto's Judgement Day (1935) – Mickey Mouse short
 * On Ice (1935) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Polo Team (1936) – Mickey Mouse short (cameo)
 * Mickey's Grand Opera (1936) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Alpine Climbers (1936) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Donald and Pluto (1936) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Elephant (1936) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mother Pluto (1936) – Silly Symphony short
 * The Worm Turns (1937) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Hawaiian Holiday (1937) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Pluto's Quin-puplets (1937) – Pluto short
 * Mickey's Parrot (1938) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Society Dog Show (1939) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mickey's Surprise Party (1939) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Beach Picnic (1939) – Donald Duck short
 * The Pointer (1939) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Standard Parade (1939) – commercial short
 * Donald's Dog Laundry (1940) – Donald Duck short
 * Put-Put Troubles (1940) – Donald Duck short
 * Bone Trouble (1940) – Pluto short
 * Window Cleaners (1940) – Donald Duck short
 * Pluto's Dream House (1940) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip (1940) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Pantry Pirate (1940) – Pluto short
 * Pluto's Playmate (1941) – Pluto short
 * A Gentleman's Gentleman (1941) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Baggage Buster (1941) – Goofy short (cameo)
 * Canine Caddy (1941) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Lend a Paw (1941) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Pluto Junior (1942) – Pluto short
 * The Army Mascot (1942) – Pluto short
 * The Sleepwalker (1942) – Pluto short
 * Out of the Frying Pan into the Firing Line (1942) – propaganda short
 * T-Bone for Two (1942) – Pluto short
 * Pluto at the Zoo (1942) – Pluto short
 * Pluto and the Armadillo (1943) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Private Pluto (1943) – Pluto short
 * Victory Vehicles (1943) – Goofy short (cameo)
 * Springtime for Pluto (1944) – Pluto short
 * First Aiders (1944) – Pluto short
 * Dog Watch (1945) – Pluto short
 * The Eyes Have It (1945) – Donald Duck short
 * Canine Casanova (1945) – Pluto short
 * The Legend of Coyote Rock (1945) – Pluto short
 * Canine Patrol (1945) – Pluto short
 * Pluto's Kid Brother (1946) – Pluto short
 * In Dutch (1946) – Pluto short
 * Squatter's Rights (1946) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Purloined Pup (1946) – Pluto short
 * A Feather in His Collar (1946) – commercial short
 * Pluto's Housewarming (1947) – Pluto short
 * Rescue Dog (1947) – Pluto short
 * Mickey's Delayed Date (1947) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Mail Dog (1947) – Pluto short
 * Pluto's Blue Note (1947) – Pluto short
 * Bone Bandit (1948) – Pluto short
 * Mickey Down Under (1948) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Pluto's Purchase (1948) – Pluto short
 * Cat Nap Pluto (1948) – Pluto short
 * Mickey and the Seal (1948) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Pluto's Fledgling (1948) – Pluto short
 * Pueblo Pluto (1949) – Pluto short
 * Pluto's Surprise Package (1949) – Pluto short
 * Pluto's Sweater (1949) – Pluto short
 * Bubble Bee (1949) – Pluto short
 * Sheep Dog (1949) – Pluto short
 * Pluto's Heart Throb (1950) – Pluto short
 * Pluto and the Gopher (1950) – Pluto short
 * Wonder Dog (1950) – Pluto short
 * Primitive Pluto (1950) – Pluto short
 * Puss Cafe (1950) – Pluto short
 * Pests of the West (1950) – Pluto short
 * Food for Feudin' (1950) – Pluto short
 * Camp Dog (1950) – Pluto short
 * Cold Storage (1951) – Pluto short
 * R'coon Dawg (1951) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Plutopia (1951) – Pluto short
 * Cold Turkey (1951) – Pluto short
 * Pluto's Party (1952) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952) – Mickey Mouse short
 * The Simple Things (1953) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Runaway Brain (1995) – Mickey Mouse short
 * Once Upon a Studio (2023) – independent short (cameo)

Feature films

 * Totally Minnie (1988; TV special)
 * Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) – (cameo)
 * The Prince and the Pauper (1990; featurette)
 * Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)
 * Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse (2001)
 * Mickey's House of Villains (2002) – (archive footage)
 * Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004)
 * Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004)
 * Mickey's Tale of Two Witches (2021; TV special)
 * Mickey Saves Christmas (2022; TV special)

Video games
Pluto appeared as a non-playable character in Mickey Mania (1994).

Pluto also appears in Disney Golf for the PlayStation 2. In the event that the player's golf ball goes out of bounds or hits a water hazard, Pluto will come and look for the player's golf ball.

In the Kingdom Hearts video game series, Pluto is still Mickey's pet and acts as somewhat of a messenger, assisting in his master's plans. For most of Kingdom Hearts II, Pluto stays by Kairi's side (even when she has been kidnapped), as he has apparently taken a liking to her. Strangely, throughout the series, Pluto appears and disappears at random moments.

Pluto is a playable character in the world builder game Disney Magic Kingdoms, being a premium character to unlock in the main storyline of the game.

Disney parks
In the various Disney theme park resorts around the world, Pluto is a meetable character just like many of his film co-stars. Pluto, however, uncharacteristically walks on two legs in this capacity out of necessity. Adults and children are able to meet, play with, and get autographs and pictures with Pluto and his friends at all Disney parks. Shirts, hats, toys and other various types of merchandise featuring Pluto are available.